Friday, June 13, 2014

Sound the trumpets! Ring the alarms! I have successfully completed 5 full days of South Beach, and I have some really exciting news. **drumroll please** I have lost 5 lbs in 5 days! ::gasp:: ::faint:: I have never lost that much in less than a week. And I don't feel like I'm starving myself. After the first day of my body being shocked from the new eating pattern, I got used to it.

What I've Learned

I think the most important thing with this diet (and any other diet to be honest) is planning. The day before I started, I planned out meal plans for the full week - including snacks. I then went to the grocery store and got everything all at once. Once I planned ahead, I always had something to eat. I eat every 2 hours! I just make sure to follow the guideliness of what foods are allowed, and I continue to count calories as well.

I have to be honest, I haven't been perfect. One day during the week, at an office party, I indulged in a glass of ginger ale. I also allow myself to sometimes eat lowfat popcorn, which I believe I shouldnt be having until phase 2. But the most important thing is that 90% of my eating is exactly where it should be, so the other 10% does not have much of an effect on my results.

The 2nd most important thing with this diet is portion control. When I first did South Beach many years ago, I didn't count calories. I just thought, as long as I stay away from bad carbs I'll lose weight. I would eat 2 steaks, or have 2 eggs and 3 sausage links and bacon... um.. NO. While they do have a low amount of carbs, they're high in calories, fat, sodium, and cholesterol. So this time around, not only did I avoid bad carbs, I also counted calories and measured everything. I know this may seem daunting but if you want results, you have to sacrifice. For example, I will only have 39 pieces of dry roasted peanuts because that is exactly the 1 ounce serving.

Improvements Needed

1) Exercise: I have not exercised at all. Even though I'm not as hungry, and cravings have reduced, I don't have as much energy as I normally have when I have more carbs in my system. I think I will save the Exercise regime for phase 2.

2) Water Intake: I only have approximately 4 glasses of water per day. I know that I should be having 8-10 glasses, but I don't seem to remember drinking unless I'm eating. I think I will add water by drinking one glass automatically upon waking, and one glass right before bed.

Monday, June 9, 2014

So I haven't posted in awhile. In fact, it's been almost exactly a year
this month. What have I been up to? Hmm.. a divorce, a promotion, a loss of a
total of 35 lbs... um ya, I said divorce. That in itself could be a whole other
post filled with betrayal, disappointment, frustration, emotion, and new
beginnings. And I promise to share as much as I can at some point, but for now,
let's stick to the health stuff.

If you remember my last post, I had completed Jillian Michael's 30 Day
Shred. That was a huge accomplishment for me! Prior to that, I never
consistently exercised since my high school cheerleading days. So after my 30
Day Shred victory, I continued on to exercise and eat well. I also became a
vegetarian, which was tough at first, but after watching documentaries on the
treatment of animals, as well as the hormones injected into animals that are
thought to lead to the development of human cancer, I knew I had to turn away
from meat. Unfortunately, during the winter I got extremely busy (and lazy) and
stopped my 6 day a week workout regimen. I also found out that I am gluten
sensitive. So there I was, a vegetarian, thinking that I was treating my body
well by avoiding meats, when all of a sudden my skin became horrible. I was
breaking out terribly on my face, chest, and back. My eczema was out with a
vengeance. And a skin disorder that I have, Hidradenitis Supportiva, was worse
than ever.

Needless to say I was extremely confused. I started to do research and
found out that many people who were Gluten Free saw improvement in their skin
issues. That's when I had my Eureka moment. I realized that the moment I
stopped eating meat, I naturally increased my Gluten intake through breads and
pastas. So my body was now getting overloaded with the thing that was harming
it. I then had to choose - Vegetarian or Gluten Free. Since Gluten appeared to
be making me ill, I had to go back to my carnivore ways in order to have
somewhat of a normal eating pattern (ideally hormone-free and grass-fed of
course). I know, I know. Some of you out there in bloggyland are shouting at
your computer screens, "You can be both a Vegetarian and Gluten Free!" And
yes, while I know that I "can", it doesn't mean that I am willing to devote my
whole entire life to eating primarly lettuce leaves.

In any event, here I am - 35 lbs down, but still have another 25 to
go. That's why I decided to do South Beach. I did it in the past many years
ago with minimal success, but it was minimal only because I gave up after a
week. This time around, I'm older and wiser, and realize that it's more for
health than it is for weight loss. I actually gained a couple of pounds when I
began eating meat again. Why? Because I was supplementing all of my
Gluten-filled favorites with their Gluten-free counterparts which mostly is
equally unhealthy. Studies show that most people gain weight while being Gluten
Free because the Gluten Free substitutes have more sugar and other fillers to
supplement the Gluten. Finding that out was a total bummer.

This is why I decided to try South Beach again. South Beach has 3 phases.
Phase 1 is when you avoid all bad carbs and sugar for 14 days. This phase is
supposed to reprogram my system, reduce cravings, and lower blood sugar. It
also will help me to eat more along the lines of what a true Gluten Free person
is supposed to eat like. Today was the first day and... I. AM. HUNGRY. I don't
believe it's because of the diet itself because the diet has me on 1600 calories
per day (and more if I exercise). I believe it's just my body going through
porition size withdrawal. Today I actually ate the appropriate serving size at
every meal, and was satisfied but not full. Supposedly that's the RIGHT way to
feel after eating. Go figure. My body just has to get used to it because I would get hungry 2 hours after the meal as opposed to 4.

What's my analysis? Overall Day 1 went okay. One issue is that I snacked a bit too much in the evening while preparing dinner. Though the snacks were things allowable on the diet, I ended up going over my calorie limit by 260 calories. The other issue is that I ended up eating dinner at 10:00pm, which isn't healthy in itself. But I found a solution for that one: I will be cooking the next day's dinner the night before. So tonight I have chili in the slowcooker for tomorrow. The apartment will smell AMAZING in the morning!

Due to my hectic schedule, I won't be able to blog every day, but I'll blog every week to
give updates. So without further ado, here is my Meal Plan for Day 1:

About Me

I'm a 31 year old gal dedicated to being a super mama, daughter, sister, and friend. I love crafting, and enjoy creating, researching, and sharing crafts with my son and all of my bloggy friends. I also work as a Social Work Supervisor in the Bronx. I live on Long Island with my two cats, my rabbit, and the most adorable preschooler imaginable!